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Microsoft: Windows 10 is now 'Speedier, More Reliable'

by John Lister on September, 21 2017 at 02:09PM EDT

Microsoft claims Windows 10 performance is improving while glitches are less common. It appears one explanation may be a slowdown in the update rollout process.

The claims come in a blog post comparing the two most recent 'major update' versions of Windows 10, the twice-yearly updates that bring new features rather than just fixing performance and security bugs. It cites figures collected in telemetry reports, in which it tracks the activity on computers, something that Microsoft says helps improve the system, but raises privacy concerns among some critics.

Boot Time And Log-In Speedier

According to Microsoft, when comparing the current Creators Update version with the previous Anniversary Update version, boot time is 13 percent quicker, with logging in 18 percent quicker. For those who use facial recognition, the boot time is 30 percent faster. (Source: windows.com)

In each case Microsoft precedes the figures by saying "up to", but doesn't make it clear if this means the figure is the average for people in particular circumstances, or if it's literally the best improvement that any one user has achieved.

The blog post also cites figures for improvements in battery life, with Microsoft saying users can now expect 17 percent longer battery life when using the Edge browser, five percent more when watching downloaded videos and 2.5 percent when streaming video. With these figures there's no 'up to' qualification.

Driver Bugs On Decline

Microsoft also claims improved reliability, citing a 17 percent reduction in people experiencing 'certain system stability issues' and a 39 percent drop in 'operating system and driver stability issues'. It also published a graph that appears to show a significant and consistent drop in people using Microsoft's customer support, both online and on the phone, though it's notable the graph doesn't show the actual numbers involved.

Whatever the true figures are, the most likely explanation for performance improvements is that Microsoft is slowing down the process of rolling out new updates. Arstechnica's Peter Bright noted that five months after the release of the Anniversary Update it was on 85 percent of Windows 10 computers; at the equivalent stage for the Creators Update, only 66 percent of machines were running the new version. That's given more opportunity to pick up problems in real-world use and fix them before more users are affected. (Source: arstechnica.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Does your experience of Windows 10 match up with Microsoft's claimed improvements? How much attention if any do you pay to which updates you have received? Have you experienced incompatibilities and other glitches after getting major updates?

Comments

The major Windows Updates are always a gamble.The Anniversary Update disabled Cortana and it has not worked since. Every update seems to require at least several hours of troubleshooting, usually without success. If the update goes smoothly, the improvements are worth it. If not, then prepare yourself to waste a lot of time troubleshooting.

I'm running Creators on two machines and an earlier ver on one machine. All on older machines that are not "approved." Admittedly simple home use. Older versions of Office, Quicken, the internet. Maybe I'm just lucky.